Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays suffer from an effect called burn-in. If the same image is left on the CRT for an extended period of time, the phosphor being addressed ages faster than the phosphor not being addressed. The effect of this burn-in is apparent when the CRT is no longer powered, yet an image is still visible. Screen savers or timeouts are generally used to prevent burn-in. Newer display technology such as Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) have a similar problem. In the case of OLED panels, or displays, the luminance of the panel decreases over the life of the panel, which is significantly shorter than other display technologies. Another problem with OLED panels is that the life of each primary colour is significantly different. Over time, compensation for the different aging rates of the primary colours is required. Yet another concern with OLED panels is their large power consumption.
Traditional screen savers address these problems, but place a burden on the processor executing the software for the screen saver. Another drawback of the traditional software implementation of a screen saver is the higher on time of the processor, which affects the life of the battery powering the mobile electronic device.